1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spring-loaded snap-type shoe and more particularly pertains to transferring propulsive forces to a foot of a wearer when the wearer is walking or running with a spring-loaded snap-type shoe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of spring-loaded shoes is known in the prior art. More specifically, spring-loaded shoes heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of transferring forces to a foot of a wearer are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,048 to Lutz discloses an elastic sole for a shoe incorporating a spring member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,175 to Ronen et al. discloses a user-specific shoe sole coil spring system and method. U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,791 to Lain discloses a torsional spring insole and method. U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,217 to Dabuzhsky et al. discloses a method and a shoe sole construction for transferring stresses from ground to foot. U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,051 to Whatley discloses footwear cushioning springs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,963 to Lerner et al. discloses a sole for transferring stresses from ground to foot.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a spring-loaded snap-type shoe that applies a propulsive force to a user's foot while walking or running, thereby reducing stress and muscle fatigue.
In this respect, the spring-loaded snap-type shoe according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of transferring propulsive forces to a foot of a wearer when the wearer is walking or running.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved spring-loaded snap-type shoe which can be used for transferring propulsive forces to a foot of a wearer when the wearer is walking or running. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.